Ski binding



Nov. 8 1960 D. RICHARDS SKI BINDING Filed Sept. 26, 1958 if J4 MII/II II/AIS) United States Patent Ofiice 2,959,424 Patented Nov. 8, 1 9 60 SKI BINDING Dexter Richards, Fernwood Point, Sunapee, NH.

Filed Sept. 26, 1958, Ser. No. 763,765

1 Claim. (Cl. 280-1155) This invention relates to ski bindings of the type which include mechanism for quick release of the ski boot from rigid mounting elements under dangerous twisting stresses, and more particularly relates to novel means for firmly, resiliently and safely maintaining attachment between boot and ski after such release.

The advent of the many types of safety ski bindings utilized for providing an attachment between ski boot and ski which will be automatically releasable under high stress to avoid injury to the user, although generally effective, has raised a number of problems. If no tether is provided between ski and boot, the ski running free may become lost or cause injury to the same or another skier. A conventional leather strap sometimes utilized as a loose tether of boot to ski after quick release from the rigid binding raises problems in that it results in violent jerks as the ski reaches the end of the tether, which may caus injury of themselves or because they result in lifting the ski dangerously into the air, or may result in breaking of the strap or loss of ski. Also, a loose tether is dangerous in that it tends to catch on brush, etc., during normal skiing so that the strap either breaks or causes a fall.

It is an object of the present invention to solve the above mentioned and other problems by novel means whereby a quick release under stress is efiected, yet one in which the ski is resiliently maintained connected to the boot so as to limit its free movement Without detracting from its ability to prevent injury-causing twisting stresses, Uniquely; because of the resilient restraint provided, injuries are even further reduced, particularly cuts and bruises caused by the steel edges and other hard and sharp elements mounted on the ski, because jerking and lifting of the ski is thereby inhibited. Too, because of the resilient nature of the restraining means provided by the invention, it is less subject to breakage either upon release of the rigid binding elements or by catching on ground objects since in normal running it lies in stretched condition closely along and following the surface of the ski boot.

In order to accomplish its novel and useful results, the present invention provides, for use in combination with a ski and a ski binding which comprises a stress releasable binding normally rigidly mounting the boot on the ski, a normally stressed stretchable element tending to urge the ski boot and ski together. The stress releasable binding is preferably of the type having a releasable toe piece and a cable passing around the heel of the boot and along the sides of the ski below the boot to normally rigidly maintain the boot in the toe piece. The stretchable element comprises a stretchable cord having a loop at one end and a snap hook at the other, the looped end being attached to the cable by passing it around the cable and through its own loop. The snap hook end of the cord is then stretched entirely around the boot with the snap hook being snapped onto the cord on the side of the boot above its point of attachment to he cable. The cord is thus elongated, maintaining it in close contact with the boot throughout its passage therearound so that no slack is provided in normal operation which might catch on ground objects or the other ski or its binding. However, upon release of the toe plate, the stretched cord resiliently urges the boot and ski together, restraining to a great extent injury-causing violent jerks of a ski on a loose tether while maintaining the boot and ski attached to avoid loss of the ski, Thus, the structure of the invention provides a novel restraint by utilizing in combination both a stress releasable binding and a normally stressed resilient restraining element which together act in a novel manner to provide a surprisingly effective; yet simple, safety ski binding.

For the purpose of more fully explaining further objects and features of the invention, reference is now made to the following specification describing in detail a pre ferred embodiment thereof, taken together with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in cross section, of a ski and ski boot having a binding according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the ski, ski boot, and binding of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the novel stretchable skibinding element of the present invention.

Referring to'the drawings, in Figs. 1 and 2 is shown a ski 6 having a ski boot 8 mounted thereon by an attachment means comprising a stress releasable binding normally rigidly mounting the boot 8 on ski 6, together with a normally stressed stretchable binding element tending to urge the boot and ski together.

The stress releasable ski-binding may be of any suitable form but preferably includes both a ski boot toe'piece element mounted on said ski releasable at a predeterminded force to release the toe of a ski boot held thereby and cable means for normally retaining the toe of said ski boot in said toe piece and the heel of said ski boot downwardly on said ski.

In the-form of stress-releasable binding shown in the drawings, the ski boot toe piece element is mounted on the ski 6 by means of its base plate 11 on which is carried an upstanding threaded stud 13 and a forward stop 12. The supporting stud 13 fits into a threaded bore for pivotal support of body member 14 as well as for height adjustment, the stop 12 being utilized to limit rotation of said body member. The body member also pivotally supports for movement in a horizontal plane a toe plate 15 by means of pivot shaft 16. In order normally to restrain toe plate 15 against pivotal movement relative to body member 14, a ball element 17 is pressed into a recess on the bottom surface of toe plate 15 by means of a spring 18 and a threaded adjusting screw 19 which presses the spring toward the ball to adjust the amount of releasing force to any desired predetermined value.

In order to normally retain the toe of the ski boot in place against toe plate 15, a cable 22 is provided. Said cable passes around the heel of the ski boot and thence passes downwardly therefrom along the side of the Ski 6, being preferably provided with portions 23 at the sides in the form of helical springs. In order to provide the desirable downward force of the heel of the ski boot on the ski, the cable is restrained along the side of the ski by a pair of spaced guide elements 24 and 25 mounted on the side of the ski respectively beneath the heel and toe portions of the ski boot at each side thereof. The cable thence passes upwardly past the toe piece element to a cable tightening toggle lever 26 including a link 27 and a support plate 28 mounted generally centrally of said ski forward of the toe piece. The toggle lever 26 may be swung upwardly in conventional fashion to slacken the cable 22 so that the ski boot may be removed from the toe plate 15 without operating the release, the normal position of the toggle lever being as shown to pull the ski boot firmly into the toe plate and downwardly upon. the ski so that it is rigidly mounted thereon.

In accordance with the invention there is provided for combination with a quick release safety binding such as that just described a. stretchable non-releasing ski-binding element which, in the form shown, comprises a stretchable cord 32 preferably having at least 50% or graeater elongation, such cord being, for example, of stretchable nylon, shock cord or the like providing high strength as well as high elongation, and being soft and of substantial diameter to avoid boot damage. Such cord isprovided with a loop 34 at one end thereof and a snap hook 38 at the other end thereof, said snap hook preferably being mounted in a loop 36'as shown. Desirably, the loops 34 and 36 ar each secured by a metal clip 35 clamped to hold the two cord sections together. The cord at its loop end is attached to the cable 22 at one side of the ski at a position between the guide elements 24 and 25, preferably just forward of the rearmost element 24 by passing the cord around the cable with the cord passing through its loop 34around the cable. The snap hook end of the cord is then led upwardly, passing entirely around the upper portion of the boot with the snap book 38 being, snapped on to the cord above its point of attachment to the cable on the same side of the boot asis, above said point of attachment. The cord is preferably elongated by at least in its normal position, that is, with the boot rigidly held on the ski by the releasable binding elements, thus maintaining the cord stretched into close contact with the boot throughout its passage therearound. However, the imposition of sufficiently large twisting forces causes the resistance of ball 17 in its socket to be overcome, releasing the toe plate. Upon such release, the cord 34 urges the ski resiliently toward the boot to restrain violent jerking movement of the ski after said release, as well as to retain the ski and boot in attached relationship.

Thus it will be seen that the invention, provides a novel safety ski-binding having great advantages, both as to ski retention and avoidance of personal injury, over those heretofore known. Various modifications of my invention but nevertheless within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims will occur to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

In combination, attachment means for attaching a ski boot to a ski comprising a stress releasable binding for normally rigidly mounting the boot on the ski and a normally stressed stretchable ski-binding element tending to urge said boot and said ski together, said stress re leasable ski-binding including a ski boot toe piece mounted on said ski releasable at a predetermined force for generally horizontal pivotal movement to release the toe of a ski boot held thereby and cable means for normally retaining the toe of said ski boot in said toe piece and the heel of said ski boot downwardly on said ski, said cable means passing around the heel of said ski boot, downwardly therefrom along the side of said ski and being restrained therealong by a pair of spaced guide elements mounted on the side of said ski respectively beneath the heel and toe portions of said ski boot at each side thereof and thence passing upwardly to cable tightening toggle means mounted generally centrally of said ski forward of said toe piece, and said stretchable skibinding element comprising a stretchable cord having at least elongation with a loop at one end thereof and a snap hook at the other end thereof, said cord at its loop end being attached to the cable means at one side of said ski at a position between said guide elements by passing said cord around said cable with said cord passing through its loop around said cable and with the snap hook end of said cord passing entirely around the upper portion of said boot with said snap hook being snapped on to the cord above its point of attachment to said cable on the same side of said boot as is above said point of attachment, said cord being prestressed elongated by at least 10% in its normal position maintaining said cord in close contact with said boot throughout its passage therearound and upon release of said toe plate urging said ski resiliently toward the side of said boot to restrain violent jerking movement of said ski after said release and to retain said ski in attached relationship to the side of said boot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,846,232. Schnell Aug. 5, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,047,353 France July 22, 1953 309,592 Switzerland Nov, 16, 1955 

